Who should apply?

This program targets present or future faculty in academic pediatrics who wish to build their skills in educational scholarship. Pediatric generalists, hospitalists, and faculty from all pediatric subspecialties are welcome. Applicants must be or become a member of the Academic Pediatric Association. The selection of participants is based on a review of the application materials described below and a determination of the applicant's ability to successfully complete all of the components of the program.

What is Educational Scholarship?

Educational scholarship is the development, implementation,
evaluation and/or dissemination of educational interventions
or evaluation methods by a creative, planned and rigorous
process that is consistent with best practices in the field
and reviewed by peers for excellence.

What are the requirements for completion
of the APA Educational Scholars Program?

To complete the program and receive a Certificate of Excellence
in Educational Scholarship, participants will be required
to:

Enlist the support of your department for the program: Scholars
will be expected to commit 10% FTE to the program in order
to complete the full curriculum, including projects, over
3 years. A tuition fee of $5,500 will be charged to all scholars
for their three years in the program, due at time of enrollment. An additional application fee of $100 is charged at the time of submission of the application.

Attend the full duration of three instructional sessions (9 hrs each over three years) at the PAS meeting. This didactic component of the program is offered each year on the Friday before the PAS meeting begins. The courses include both presentation of concepts and practical, hands-on activities with many opportunities for collegial interactions.

Formally review workshops at the PAS (or an equivalent professional meeting, such as APPD, COMSEP, PHM or AAMC).

Develop an Educator Portfolio. Review and feedback on educator portfolios will be provided by ESP faculty advisors.

Conduct a mentored educational project and provide evidence of a successfully peer reviewed presentation or publication related to the project. The self-directed, experiential component of the program will be a mentored project in educational research, innovation, or evaluation, usually conducted at the Scholar's home institution. Applications to the program must include a project proposal. For examples of suitable project topics, click here. Development of creative content and formats for educational projects is encouraged. Program faculty are available for discussion of project ideas prior to application submission, if needed. Projects may be modified after enrollment in the program with approval by the ESP Executive Committee.

Scholars are responsible for finding their own mentors before they apply. If you are unable to do so, program administrators will facilitate connection with a mentor. For assistance in identifying a mentor, contact the APA Office at least 2 months prior to the application deadline. Each Scholar will also be assigned a faculty advisor to discuss projects, review educator portfolios and provide career counseling. For certification of completion of the Program, projects must culminate in a peer-reviewed publication (article or MedEdPORTAL publication) or peer-reviewed presentation (platform talk, poster, or workshop) at meetings of the PAS, AAMC, or an equivalent organization.

How to apply?

Application instructions can be found at this link. The application includes a personal information sheet, an agreement to participate and commitment to pay the $5500 one time tuition fee, statements from supervisor and mentor, letters of reference, and a brief biographical sketch, as well as a project description. The applicant must submit this information electronically, as described on the application webpage, with an application fee of $100.